The velvet-like coat is generally dark chestnut-brown or purplish red in
colour, with distinctive pattern of horizontal stripes, much like those of
a zebra, on the upper legs. The lower legs are white, with dark garters
at the joints. The vaguely horse-like head is generally lighter, with
a black muzzle, and is supported by a thick neck. The ears are large,
and the black tongue is long and prehensile. The body is sloped, with
the forequarters much higher than the rear. Males have two skin covered
'horns' or knobs on the forehead which develop between one and five
years of age.

Ontogeny and Reproduction

Gestation Period: 14-15 months. Young per Birth: 1 Weaning: After 6 months. SexualMaturity: Females at 2 years, males later. Life span: Over 30 years.

Young are born from August to October. Expectant mothers retreat into
dense forest to give birth, after which the newborn lies hidden for several
days. The young do not seem to imprint on their mothers, and have been
observed nursing from two different females.

Ecology and Behavior

The okapi is active during the day, using fixed, well-trodden paths through
the jungle. To locate breeding partners, okapis use their well-developed
sense of smell. While usually silent, okapis may make a soft cough
during the rut. Young animals, on the other hand, have a wide repertoire
of noises, including coughs, bleats, and whistles. The number of these
vocalizations increase when the mother and child are
separate. Mothers are very protective of their young, defending
it vigorously. Before fighting begins, the female sends out a threat
by beating on the ground with her forelegs. Estimated population densities
range from 0.8-2.3 animals per square kilometer. Okapis have individual
home ranges of about 2.5-5 square kilometer, which they move through at the
rate of about a kilometer per day as they forage. The okapi finds
the minerals its body needs by eating a sulfurous clay found along river
banks..

Family group: Solitary, or in temporary small groups. Diet: Leaves, grasses, fruit. Main Predators: Leopard.

Distribution

Dense, moist jungle near water throiughout the Ituri Forest in the Democratic
Republic of Congo.

Range Map (Redrawn from IEA, 1998)

Conservation Status

The okapi is not believed to be in danger, although accurate population
assessments are difficult in the dense jungle.

Remarks

The only known living relative of the giraffe, the okapi was first described
to western science by P. L. Sclater in 1901. Henry Stanley first penetrated
the dense Ituri Forest of the Congo in 1890, exposing the existence of the
okapi in his book "In Darkest Africa". In his writings, he remarked
of his surprise when the native Wambutti pygmies didn't marvel at his horses,
saying that they sometimes caught a donkey-like animal in their pits, which
they called o'api (misinterpreted by Stanley as atti).
Rumours of this strange, ass-like animal reached Sir Johnston, which
spurred him to make a journey into the Congo in 1899. After winning
the confidence of the Wambutti, Johnston was able to learn more about the
mysterious atti - including its real name. After hearing its
description - a dark brown animal resembling a donkey with striped legs -
Johnston was sure that the o'api was a species of forest zebra still
awaiting a scientific description. Later that year, in the Belgian
Fort at Mbeni, Johnston was able to obtain two headbands, made from the striped
pieces of okapi skins, which he sent to the Zoological Society of London
in 1900. From these pieces of skin, an announcement of a new species
- Equus? johnstoni - was made. Back in the Congo, Johnston was
shown a set of tracks by the natives which they insisted were made by an
okapi. However, as the tracks were cloven-hoofed, Johnston dismissed
them as they did not fit his notion that the okapi was a member of the horse
family. Meanwhile Karl Eriksson, Commandant at Fort Mbeni, was able
to secure a complete skin and two skulls, which he sent to Johnston. Armed
with these findings, Johnston wrote back to the Zoological Society of London,
sending the priceless cargo along. The skulls were the key to the puzzle,
allowing scientists to determine that this new species was not a horse, but
a forest giraffe. Okapi is a corruption of the native name
o'api. Sir Harry H. Johnston (1858-1927), explorer and
author, discovered the okapi while in the Colonial Administration of British
Central Africa.

IEA (Institute of Applied Ecology) 1998. Okapia johnstoni.
In African Mammals Databank - A Databank for the Conservation
and Management of the African Mammals Vol 1 and 2. Bruxelles: European
Commission Directorate. Available online at
http://gorilla.bio.uniroma1.it/amd/amd146b.html